Kentucky Explained in Black and White

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Our conversation this morning with a professor from Kentucky stopped a few Twitter listeners cold.

Donald Gross, who teaches political science at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, took a question from Mike Pesca about Hillary Clinton's 30-point lead over Barack Obama in polls ahead of that state's Democratic presidential contest.

Gross noted that Kentucky has a very small African-American community -- the U.S. Census Bureau puts the figure at 7.5 percent of the population.

"I think in many parts of the state of Kentucky people are a bit uncomfortable with African-Americans," he said. "In a lot of the rural areas, literally a lot of these individuals have never seen African-Americans. They don't interact with them."

Continue reading "Kentucky Explained in Black and White" »

Laura Conaway

9:06 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Your Letter to the Next President

Filed under: Slideshow, Sound Off

Sheryl Oring wants your thoughts for the next boss.

Click to view.

 

What would you like to tell the next president?

We'd like to know -- and so would artist Sheryl Oring. Using an old manual typewriter, Oring will be taking dictation on Monday in Bryant Park for letters to the next commander-in-chief, as part of her project "I Wish to Say."

You can get in on it now. Drop your letter to the next president (in less than 400 words, if you can) in the comments. We'll ask Oring to include some of them in work next week.

Laura Conaway

8:21 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

What's the Opposite of a Zero-Sum Game?

Filed under: Sound Off

Yesterday during Laura's On The Blog segment, she was discussing whether it's possible to blog too much, when she had this exchange with Mike Pesca:

Listen to it again. It gets funnier.

But the question got us thinking...What is the opposite of a zero-sum game? We know there's such thing as a positive-sum game, where sides can both gain or lose at the same time, but that doesn't exactly seem to be the opposite of a zero-sum game. Are we missing something? What's an example of the opposite of a zero-sum game?

Dan Pashman

8:46 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Had It with Long Lines for the Women's Room?

Filed under: Luncheonette, Sound Off

For lunch today, an open thread. I'll start:

Some guys just do not understand certain things about life as a girl/woman.

Take the guy who shot this video over the summer in Prince Edward Island. The line for the women's restroom is out the door and into the parking lot. The line for the men's room is not. Having had maybe enough of that age-old scenario, the girlwomenpeople start queuing up for the opposite sex's loo.

Our camerman: "A new low! A new low!"

Dude, wait on lines like I've waited on lines and then editorialize. Or talk to Kathryn Anthony, an architecture professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who told us today about so-called potty parity laws.

Bonus: Potty parity haunts St. Louis arena

Laura Conaway

12:37 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (17) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Religion and the 'Cure' for Being Gay

Filed under: Sound Off

On our show today, psychiatrist David Scasta told us about his plans for a panel called "Homosexuality and Therapy: the Religious Dimension."

Scasta, who calls himself a quiet gay activist, says he wanted to address the needs of gay and bisexual patients whose religious beliefs might prompt them to seek some kind of "cure" for their sexual orientation. Scheduled for last week's American Psychiatric Association convention, the forum was to include V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, and conservative Christians who consider homosexuality a sin.

But after infuriated gay activists complained, Scasta called off his own panel.

"If you literally believe in a literal hell where you are going to burn and fry and be in excruciating pain not just for a moment but for eternity because you're a gay person," Scasta asks, "then how do you go to psychotherapy in which somebody like me would be telling you that to have a happy life, in this life, you need to learn to accept who you are?"

Scasta hoped for a discussion that might begin to bridge the gap between sides with very different opinions on a core issue. Personally, I'm just hoping to hear what you have to say, in the comments.

Laura Conaway

7:46 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (48) | e-mail post

Clinton, Obama Split Pair of Contests: Now What?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton and Obama split Tuesday's contests.

AFP/Getty Images

As expected, Sen. Barack Obama took the Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina by a good margin -- some 56 to 42 percent. Obama received more than 90 percent of the African American vote and about 40 percent of the white vote. He won in every age group except voters over 65.

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton won in Indiana by about 22,000 votes of the more than 1.2 million cast. She did well among white men and made some inroads into Obama's base, garnering support from younger white voters and those making more than $100,000. Clinton now trails Obama in pledged delegates by 171; she retains a 271-256 lead in declared superdelegates.

So those are the numbers, as NPR reports them this morning. Now comes the jawing -- starting with the New York Times analysis piece headlined "Options Dwindling for Clinton." Your turn's in the comments.

Laura Conaway

6:35 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

The Great Batman Debate

Filed under: Sound Off

Every Friday our friend Daniel Holloway, Metro movie critic, joins us to break down the upcoming weekend's new films. Last Friday, as you might expect, a lot of attention was paid to Ironman. And while discussing where that film ranks in the superhero movie pantheon, Daniel happened to mention that he doesn't list Batman in his top 10. That utterance caused Ian Chillag and me to jump from our cubicles and go running into the studio to protest. Here's a 1:36 clip of what happened:

As promised, Daniel and I have taken this outside...to the blog. Below are the e-mails we exchanged over the weekend, as we continued the discussion on friendlier terms. Take a read, then tell us what you think. And tell us what superhero flicks make your top 10.

DANIEL HOLLOWAY WRITES:
I was disappointed in my performance today during the raid by the Batmaniac Society. Really, if I'm going to say something like "Batman isn't one of the 10 best superhero movies ever," I should at least have the decency to be able to say why, right? So here's why:

1. Because X2, Superman, Spider-Man, The Incredibles, X-Men, Superman 2, Iron Man, Superman Returns, Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 were all better.
2. Because it marks the beginning of Nicholson's "Jack being Jack" period, during which almost every part he's had could have been played just as well by a drunk person doing a Jack Nicholson impression.

Read the rest of Daniel's e-mail, and my response, after the jump...

Continue reading "The Great Batman Debate" »

Dan Pashman

3:30 PM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (29) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Is Wright Trying to Hurt Obama?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright addresses the National Press Club on April 28.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 

Torpedo. That's the word I keep hearing to describe what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is or is not trying to do to Barack Obama's presidential bid. Yesterday, the Democratic senator's former pastor spoke at the National Press Club -- affirming his positions on the root causes of AIDS and 9-11 and decrying criticism of his sermons. "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," Wright says. "It is an attack on the black church."

Obama told reporters that Wright doesn't speak for him or for the campaign. "Some of the comments that Rev. Wright has made offend me, and I understand why they offend the American people," the frontrunner said. Judging from opinion pages, that may not be enough. Obama and Wright's hometown paper, the Chicago Tribune, headlined an editorial "Wright's Curious Mission," writing:

By the end of Wright's performance, you had to wonder if he was trying to torpedo Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. He surely didn't seem troubled by that possibility. "Nothing can get in the way if God wants Obama to be president," Wright said. Maybe not. But the pastor seemed interested in testing the theory.

Bonus reads:
WaPo's Eugene Robinson: Where Wright goes wrong
EbonyJet's Monroe Anderson

Laura Conaway

6:25 AM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (42) | e-mail post

Government Money Arrives Early

Filed under: Sound Off

Apparently the economic stimulus money the government has promised is arriving early. About 800,000 recipients will get their money direct-deposited over each of the next three days.

Did you check your bank account? Did you get your money? What are you going to do with it

Tricia McKinney

2:18 PM ET | 04-28-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Your Turn: On the Sean Bell Verdict

Filed under: News, Sound Off

A woman reacts after the Sean Bell verdict.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

 

A New York judge today found three undercover detectives not guilty in the police shooting of Sean Bell. The unarmed man died in a hail of 50 bullets a few hours before he was to be married.

On the show today, Delores Jones-Brown of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice cited a nationwide trend of police either not being indicted or being acquitted when they kill civilians in the line of duty. Police are generally firing fewer bullets -- those aimed at Bell and his friends accounted for nearly 10 percent of the NYPD's total that year -- but Jones-Brown says that doesn't matter to the loved ones left behind.

"When you're the family members of the victims, you could care less what's going on in other parts of the state or in other parts of the country," she says. "And on an individual basis, a case such as this one where you've got at least one officer shooting 31 times, his shooting alone exceeds the average of the department by almost 10 times."

Laura Conaway

11:28 AM ET | 04-25-2008 | permalink | comments (58) | e-mail post

Nominees, Please: British Bands That Sound British

Filed under: Music, Sound Off

Yesterday I asked singer-songwriter Kate Nash a really brilliant question, which went something like: Uhhh, you're English . . . and you sound it, what's up with that?

Because isn't it the case that a lot of Brit bands, when they sing, sound American? The reverse is a rarity, American singers who sound British, Billy Joe of Green Day being the most prominent example. Musical genius Jacob Ganz and I began brainstorming the category of Acts that Sound the Most British. After the jump our top nominees, and a request for yours:

Continue reading "Nominees, Please: British Bands That Sound British" »

Mike Pesca

7:55 AM ET | 04-24-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

The Starving Dog: Real or Not?

Filed under: Sound Off

As seen on El Perrito Vive

photocredit

 

If you believe the online uproar, Costa Rican artist Guillermo Vargas starved a dog to death as part of a gallery exhibit. The story has Vargas pulling a stray from the street and tying it to a wall. Just out of its reach, the title You Are What You Read is spelled out in dog food.

New York University professor Randy Martin agreed to wrestle with the question of shock art for today's show. A logical extension of that is the question of whether the starving dog story is real.

FWIW, the rumor sleuthing site Snopes files this one under "undetermined."

Laura Conaway

2:38 PM ET | 04-22-2008 | permalink | comments (22) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Your Feet Are Killing You

Filed under: Sound Off

"Everyone who wears shoes walks wrong."

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Awhile back, we had a guy on the show who has sworn off shoes forever. ""For me it was just more natural and comfortable," says Chris Roat, who runs a website devoted to barefoot hiking.

Today, we followed up with a New York magazine piece that suggests our shoes are forcing fundamental changes in the way the human body works. "Shoes hurt your feet," writes Adam Sternbergh. "They change how you walk. Your poor, tender, abused, ignored, maligned, misunderstood feet . . . are getting trounced in a war that's been raging for roughly a thousand years: the battle of shoes versus feet."

Need a little mercy for your sole?

Laura Conaway

11:44 AM ET | 04-22-2008 | permalink | comments (144) | e-mail post

Open Thread: The Kids from That Polygamous Sect

Filed under: Sound Off

On this morning's show, Dallas Morning News religion columnist Rod Dreher kindly considered all sides of that raid on the West Texas polygamous compound.

Dreher says he worries about the rights of religious minorities, but he adds, "You can't have people raping girls and calling it marriage." He also worries about the 416 kids separated from their mothers. "People can put themselves in the situation of these families," he says.

Anyone feeling that?

Laura Conaway

12:27 PM ET | 04-18-2008 | permalink | comments (26) | e-mail post

The West Memphis 3: Discuss

Filed under: Sound Off

The victims were all eight years old. From left, James Moore, Steven Branch and Christopher Byers.

Ever since I first heard the news that three boys had been found mutilated and murdered behind a truck stop in West Memphis, Ark., the case has parked itself in my brain. It doesn't take up a ton of personal real estate, but I never really forget it, either.

Three local young men were convicted for the 1993 killing of James Moore, Steven Branch and Christopher Byers. Two of them, Jessie Miskelley and James Baldwin, are serving life sentences. A third, Damien Echols, got the death penalty. The case was profiled in a series of documentaries that began with Paradise Lost. Fifteen years later, the so-called West Memphis 3 are still filing appeals, backed by celebrities like Eddie Vedder and local groups like Arkansas Take Action. On our show today, reporter Marc Perrusquia of the Memphis Commercial Appeal caught us up on the latest.

Part of what keeps their case rolling is claims by defense attorneys that new forensic evidence clears the men. And part of it is that prosecutors originally singled out Echols, in particular, as a weird Goth kid with pretentions to Satanic ritual and a penchant for unsettling tattoos.

I have no idea whether the West Memphis 3 should have been found guilty or should be released right this minute. I just know that someone did something to those kids.

Laura Conaway

9:07 AM ET | 04-11-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Ecclesiastes: Best Book in the Whole Bible

Filed under: Sound Off

Charlton Heston as Moses

Getty Images

 

In a recent survey, the Bible ranked as America's favorite book. On our show today, Slate's Bible blogger David Plotz ran down his favorite parts of the Hebrew scriptures.

I grew up Southern Baptist and memorized reams of Bible verses for Sword Drill competitions (wish you were there). My vote for biblical favorite goes to Ecclesiastes, with the 22nd Psalm -- not the 23rd -- the latter part of Isiah and the second part of John 13:1 lined up directly after, in some order. Why Ecclesiastes? Because whatever saying Shakespeare didn't invent, you'll find here. Because it's so radical they tack on a warning at the end. And because it contains lines like:

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them'; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain."

Laura Conaway

2:04 PM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Slideshow: White Stuff People Like

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to watch.

iStockphoto

 

On today's show, we featured websites that take their inspiration from StuffWhitePeopleLike -- a three-month-old venture that's either the next big thing or the last big thing (already). Among our visitors was Scott Lamb of WhiteStuffPeopleLike. Lamb's site started on April 7, and it lists only three items so far: mayonnaise, cocaine and snow.

We think the Bryant Park Project's crowd can help round that out a little. (Leah illustrates her suggestion with a picture.)

Bonus reads:
Why I Don't Like StuffWhitePeopleLike
The Blog You're Going to Start Reading All the Time

Laura Conaway

12:00 PM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (28) | e-mail post

Who Should Play Rove, Rumsfeld and Cheney?

Filed under: Sound Off

In today's "Ramble," we mentioned that Thandie Newton had been tapped to play Condoleezza Rice in Oliver Stone's new movie W. Still to be cast are adviser Karl Rove, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney--any thoughts?

Alison Stewart

11:17 AM ET | 04- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (23) | e-mail post

Gay Editor Says Clinton, Obama Courting His Paper

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

You guys want to talk about the election?

Mark Segal, editor of the Philadelphia Gay News, says Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are each asking for his newspaper's endorsement. Here's what he wants:

"We want to hear what's going on with their positions on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. We just don't want hear a very simple, 'Yeah, I want to get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We would like to hear a plan."

Add in a position on the federal bill to end discrimination in employment and some kind of something on civil marriage (word: an awfully big issue at my house), and you've got Segal's take.

Laura Conaway

11:51 AM ET | 04- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

The Latest 'Vogue' Cover: What Do You See?

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to enlarge.

We got in on the conversation about the current cover of Vogue today.

Some people say it's a strikingly composed photo of hard bodied beauties LeBron James and Giselle Bunchen, others a new take on King Kong and Fay Wray.

What do you think -- does the image fortify racial sterotypes?

Alison Stewart

9:55 AM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Wondering About the Economy?

Filed under: Sound Off

Later this week, we're planning an open mic on the economy. Is the country heading for a recession? Are we in one now? What happened to all the value at Bear Stearns? What can you do with a weakened dollar? Should you wait to buy a house or borrow money for school -- or go for a lower rate now?

Post your questions about the economy and we'll throw them into the mix.

UPDATE: Kelly Evans takes our questions on the BPP.

Laura Conaway

8:25 AM ET | 03-18-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

What's Your Cure for a Hangover?

Filed under: Sound Off

It's St. Patrick's Day, which means whether your last name is McKinney or Pashman, you're likely to be doing some drinking today. (Unless of course you go to bed before sundown so you can wake up in the middle of the night to assemble a radio show that shines like a beacon of hope unto civilization. In that case you've already started.)

So if you have to get up to go to work tomorrow, you may need to fend off a hangover. But how? I'm a big believer in the idea that a hangover must be stopped before it starts, so I recommend a grilled egg and cheese sandwich before bed.

What's your hangover cure? We'll feature some of your remedies on tomorrow's show.

Dan Pashman

11:41 AM ET | 03-17-2008 | permalink | comments (13) | e-mail post

Under Wraps: Pushing the Limits of Modesty

Filed under: Sound Off

How modest is too modest? That's the question some Orthodox Jews in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh are asking after a local woman started pushing burqa-like dress for Jewish women.

One editorial in the Israeli press says a Jewish woman's choice to cover her body from head to toe is "self-effacement to the point of self-obliteration." Here's an excerpt from a January 2nd editorial in the Jewish Chronicle, which says Orthodox Jews pushing for extreme modesty are opening a "Pandora's Box."

"Some bloggers have cited parallels to eating disorders. Both anorexics and the burka women are denying their bodies in order to make them 'disappear.' Both are reacting to unattainable cultural ideals, be they size-zero thinness or increasingly stringent standards of modesty in the Charedi world, by taking them to an obsessive extreme. And anorexia is often understood to be a desperate way for women to assert control over at least one aspect of their lives. Surely, wearing a burka or vowing silence can be construed similarly."

Angela Ellis

9:12 AM ET | 03-17-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

A Challenge for Pi Day: Write Your Own Pi-ku

Filed under: Sound Off

Tomorrow is March 14, 3/14, 3.14, or as it's known to many unlikely to have other plans, Pi Day. I'm learning about a few ways Pi Day is celebrated by so-called mathletes. There are pie contests and pizza parties. Those who can recite more than just three digits do so out loud to no one in particular, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco holds an all-day celebration. And some people, we understand, write pi-ku--haiku about pi. I say we take it one step nerdier and make new rules.

First line: 3 syllables
Second line: 1 syllable
Third line: 4 syllables

What you got, BPPeople?

Ian Chillag

11:20 AM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink | comments (101) | e-mail post

Listener Checks In: the Place Jeff Buckley Died

Filed under: Sound Off

Click to enlarge

Radio Sweetheart

 

Earlier this week, we ran what we call an "assisted listen" to the late Jeff Buckley's 1993 record Grace. The song "Hallelujah" has soared to the top of the iTunes charts, owing to a performance of it on American Idol.

Buckley died in 1997, swimming across a tributary of the Mississippi River in Memphis. Twitter friend @thespacebase, aka, happened to be in Memphis this week, and late last night he sent us this picture of the place Buckley died. Full text on Radio-sweethearts.com.

Bonus: More pictures from Memphis.

Laura Conaway

7:44 AM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Ferraro Remarks Shift Attention to Race

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro

Jamie Rose/Getty Images

Here's Geraldine Ferraro talking to the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif., about Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama:

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

And here's Ferraro talking to the New York Times about those remarks:

"Every time that campaign is upset about something, they call it racist," she said. "I will not be discriminated against because I'm white. If they think they're going to shut up Geraldine Ferraro with that kind of stuff, they don't know me."

Your turn to talk's in the comments, right below. You know what to do.

Bonus: Politico has a Ferraro flashback.

Laura Conaway

7:58 AM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink | comments (27) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Home Schooled Much?

Filed under: Sound Off

Three Lions/Getty Images

The California courts have come down hard on home schooling families in the state. A new appellate ruling means parents who teach their kids may be breaking the law.

Luis Huerta of Columbia University says religious belief remains the top reason for going the home schooling route, but there's also a sizable "unschooling" movement. Not to mention people who end up home schooling kids who for whatever reason are a tough fit with the system (been there, years back -- not fun). No one knows how many people in California or elsewhere could be affected by the court ruling.

In some cases, "if they chose to home school, they've chosen not to report to the state," Huerta says.

Report to us, please. Ever considered the home school route?

Full read: California home schoolers get the heave-ho.

Laura Conaway

12:44 PM ET | 03-11-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

David Horvitz Sells It All

Filed under: Sound Off

Yours for $1,626.

DavidHorvitz.com

 

Want some star sand from the island of Iriomote? David Horvitz will get you some -- for a price. Strike the right price, and Horvitz will go as far from his house as possible (Perth, Australia, here he comes!) or think of someone he owes an apology and pay up in writing (you get a copy of the letter).

I'm interested in whether the BPP crowd would like to meet this guy. Check him out and let us know.

Laura Conaway

7:18 AM ET | 03-10-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Misogyny or Racism--Which Is Worse?

Filed under: Election 2008, Media, Sound Off

Tomorrow features yet another contest for the Democratic presidential hopefuls, and the fight for the nomination is getting grittier by the day.

If you read Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times this week, you'll know that she wrote about gender and race and the current political climate. Specifically, Dowd addressed the way Clinton and some of her supporters are weaving the issue of gender into her profile as a candidate.

Dowd then raised this "elephant in the room" question:

People will have to choose which of America's sins are greater, and which stain will have to be removed first. Is misogyny worse than racism, or is racism worse than misogyny?

What do you think?

Alison Stewart

9:44 AM ET | 03- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Seen Any Good Typo's Lately?

Filed under: Sound Off

What's wrong with this picture?

Tricia McKinney/NPR

Jeff Deck and the Typo Eradication Advancement League are wandering the country, even as we speak, bringing the red pen of justice to typos everywhere.

Seen any? Tricia McKinney spotted the one above. After the jump, one from David Hollis of Hamilton, New York, and Radio Free Hamilton.

Continue reading "Seen Any Good Typo's Lately?" »

Laura Conaway

1:15 PM ET | 03- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (79) | e-mail post

Who Wins as the Democrats Battle On?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton v. Obama goes another round.

Getty Images

Winning three out of four primaries Tuesday, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is claiming a comeback. Meanwhile, blogger Bill Scher of LiberalOasis.com says it's almost "impossible" for her to beat Barack Obama. He suggests the big winner here is Republican John McCain, who clinched the nomination yesterday and can now watch Obama and Clinton pummel each other.

Not sure what I think about all that. You?

Laura Conaway

8:39 AM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

What's the Opposite of a Bacon, Egg & Cheese?

Filed under: Sound Off

David Hernandez: American Idol finalist, Private Dancer.

Getty Images

According to the Associated Press, American Idol finalist David Hernandez used to be a stripper.

At a male strip club.

For males.

Gordy Bryan, the manager of the club, said he performed completely nude. "He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here," Bryan said.

It's yet another in a long line of American Idol scandals, which brings me to a theory I have and the title of this post.

I think the producers of American Idol knew about the David Hernandez thing all along and were holding the news back until this week because it is 80's week and that gives him the opportunity to sing Tina Turner's brilliant song, Private Dancer! Whatcha think about that!

Everyone in the office thinks I'm crazy. Maybe so. If I'm right, though, I will break my Lenten vow of giving up bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches (BC&E). I mean, if I'm right that'll be pretty amazing. I totally deserve that sandwich.

And if I'm not right? What then? Well, if I get to put the BC&E on the line then it's only fair that I eat the opposite of a BC&E if I turn out to be wrong. The question for you: what's the opposite of a BC&E?

Matt Martinez

2:47 PM ET | 03- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Where Do You Hear Us?

Filed under: Inside The BPP, Sound Off

So you know we tried something new, producing-wise, with the A-Block yesterday. (Or if you don't know that, listen to it here.) I'm fascinated by the conversation that experiment started; your comments are insightful and helpful to us as we figure out how best to evolve as a great news show.

Tell us more -- for example, HOW do you listen to us? Do you stream us live? (Why or why not?) Do you hear us on Sirius, or the radio? Do you prefer the podcast? Do you listen to the whole thing?

Sharon Hoffman

8:13 AM ET | 03- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (53) | e-mail post

A Challenge: Madame Vichyssoise Eats Mad Crepes . . .

Filed under: Sound Off

All parts not shown here.

 

Remember when a bunch of astronomy guys got together and decided Pluto wasn't a planet but a dwarf planet? Then Pluto people were like, "Fine, but Pluto's awesome, so if Pluto's a dwarf planet, let's count dwarf planets as planets." The astronomy guys were like "whatever, OK, but if you count Pluto, you got to count Ceres, which we recently upgraded from asteroid to dwarf planet, and Eris, which is way out there past Pluto. Which still isn't a planet, btw."

We ended up with 11 planets, which means the old nine planet mnemonic "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" no longer flies. Now that it's Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Eris, we need a new one. National Geographic held a contest, and a very smart 10-year-old, Maryn Smith, won with "My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants."

So are you smarter than a 4th grader? What can you do with M-V-E-M-C-J-S-U-N-P-E?

Ian Chillag

8:05 AM ET | 02-29-2008 | permalink | comments (14) | e-mail post

ABCs and LGBT: Teaching Tolerance to Kids

Filed under: Links From the Show, News, Sound Off

The same week a gay 8th grader was murdered, allegedly by a fellow student because of his sexual orientation, a landmark documentary on gay tolerance celebrated its 10th anniversary.

"It's Elementary: Talking about Gay Issues in School" focuses on 8th graders and the effort to prevent anti-gay bias from taking root in young minds. Here's a clip from the film, re-released last week on DVD.

When it came out in '98, there was a firestorm of controversy over talking homosexuality with K-8 graders. Opponents claimed the film was trying to indoctrinate school children in "the gay agenda," as they called it.

So is 6, 7 or 8 too early to talk LGBT? Or is it the right time to open minds and possibly help avoid more hate crimes like the California case? Let us know what you think.

Angela Ellis

4:20 PM ET | 02-25-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Great Big Beef Recall: Does It Matter Now?

Filed under: Sound Off

Last month BPP newscaster Rachel Martin opened a thread about cows being handled roughly in a California slaughterhouse. She asked whether it mattered if the beef you and your family ate came from crippled cows dragged onto the production line.

Apparently it does matter -- to the USDA, which just recalled 143 million pounds of that beef. It appears that much of the product has already been consumed, partly in school lunches.

Anyone think it matters now?

Laura Conaway

8:42 AM ET | 02-18-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Worst American President Ever?

Filed under: Sound Off

Picked-on: Warren G. Harding

Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

 

In honor or Presidents' Day, an open thread on the worst U.S. president ever -- with one important rule: The person has to have been elected prior to 1990. I'm voting for Warren G. Harding, but only because someone told me to.

Laura Conaway

8:34 AM ET | 02-18-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

You Can Name Jill Sobule's Band!

Filed under: Music, Sound Off, Video

BPP musical editorialist Jill Sobule is working on a new record. She also is putting together a new band. Funny thing, the witty wordsmith is at a loss for a name for her new group.

Please help Jill -- she's our friend. What should she name her band?

Alison Stewart

6:18 AM ET | 02-14-2008 | permalink | comments (33) | e-mail post